[Question #10867] Oral sex and HIV

19 months ago

I've been been dating a girl for about a month, we've never had penetrative sex because I'm waiting till she gets an sti test. She said she's had them but I don't know when her last one was.

But I've received oral sex three times. I've read on here this is a low-risk activity but now I'm worried.

I did get a full suite of sti testing done and it came back negative, but it was taken only two weeks after receiving oral sex for the first time. I don't feel a lot of relief - should i get another test? How long should I wait?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

19 months ago

Welcome back. However, I note that your previous five questions all revealed unrealistic fears of HIV when no risk existed. This seems to be more of the same, expanded to other STDs in addition to HIV.

You describe a partner who would seem to be at low risk of HIV and STDs in general. As for HIV, there has never been a proved case of HIV transmitted mouth to penis. I believe that at least one of your other threads included my or Dr. Hook's advice that sexual transmission ONLY occurs by unprotected vaginal or anal sex. Oral sex also is, as you state yourself, low risk for all STDs. In the absence of symptoms, I would have advised not being tested but just waiting for your partner's eventual test results.

Presumably the "full suite" of tests included urine for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Those results are conclusive. All infections diagnosed by blood tests require 6 weeks or more for conducive results (12 weeks for herpes, but you definitely should not have those tests -- the HSV blood tests are notoriously unreliable).

I suggest no further testing and also no further worry. You are at zero risk for HIV and little or no risk for other infections.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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19 months ago

I have OCD so yes, sometimes my questions might seem a bit over the top, I apologize. Germophobia is tough.

What about manually stimulating a woman, i.e. fingering? Is that an HIV risk?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

19 months ago

As stated above and in one or more of your previous threads, "sexual transmission [of HIV] ONLY occurs by unprotected vaginal or anal sex." I'll let you answer the fingering question yourself; I'm sure you can figure it out!

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18 months ago

So six weeks is the minimum for accurate test results?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

18 months ago

CDC advises a concluding AgAB test at 45 days and that's our advice on this forum; although we often round it off at 6 weeks. (There are few if any known cases in which someone was negative at 42 days and positive at 45 days.) However, you should assume you do not have HIV and can safely have sex new or other partners without putting them at risk. There is no realistic possibility you have HIV. But of course you are free to be tested if you wish.

Please note the forum does not permit repeated questions on the same topic or exposure. This being your fifth, all OCD driven and reflecting exposures known to be virtually free of HIV risks, it will have to be your last one; future similar questions about low risk exposures, testing, and your fears about HIV may receive no reply and the posting fee will not be refunded. This policy is based on compassion, not criticism, and is intended to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers. In addition, experience shows that continued answers tend to prolong users' anxieties rather than reducing them. Finally, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. Thank you for your understanding. I do hope this final discussion has been helpful. Best wishes and stay safe.

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